On Wednesday we were expecting the arrival of a nephew and his partner from Barcelona. Unfortunately the bus was late arriving into Perpignan, so they were a bit delayed arriving in Ceret. There was no point in us going in to collect them - we would have arrived back in Ceret at the same time as the bus. So at 8pm we met them at the bus stop and we walked the 10min to our apartment. We had a meal ready and waiting and had a very enjoyable time catching up on all the news.
The temperatures have ramped up to the mid-30s so we are trying to get out earlyish in the mornings for any expedition we have planned. However, it was 10am before we set off on a short walk around the back of Ceret the following morning. We had some interesting things to show our guests, as well as walking past the Capuchin Convent that we seriously considering buying last year. A coffee at Bar Pablo set the scene for a quiet bread and cheese lunch at home, followed by a quiet afternoon.
That evening John and I already had apero with at a friend's house booked in, the only time we could arrange to catch up together. However, it ended up being a group of 7 made up of Swedish, Norwegian, French, English and South African, as well as us. It had a very enjoyable time and hopefully we will do it again sometime, although invariably people are coming and going from Ceret at all different times of the year. Meanwhile our young guests had a nice wander around Ceret and took the opportunity to have an aperitif at a local bar. We cooked a meal of duck for dinner for everyone. The music from the buskers coming up from the square down below is always a lovely accompaniment to having dinner or lunch around the table in our apartment in summer.
Friday was yet another hot day. We squeezed in a coffee (I must point out at Edwards' behest, not mine) before setting off at 10am for the short trip to the Spanish border. We have visited Fort Bellegarde on a number of occasions so knew it would be a good shortish expedition. We wandered around the fort, moat, old barracks, French soldier's cemetery, watchtower and Roman Road for a few hours before heading back to the car, rapidly turning on the aircon, and driving 10 minutes to a little restaurant in the nearby Spanish town. John and I had dined there just a few weeks ago, on our 'haircut day out', and had the most excellent standard Spanish meal. Hence, we returned, and were not disappointed. I even had tuna steak again. It was a relief to be out of the sun and lovely to enjoy a leisurely few hours over the meal. We are getting to know the waiter (owner?) and chef quite well - they are both French. We will definitely be back. When we finally arrived home, after stopping at one of the super-large supermarkets on the Spanish border to stock up on food and wine, we flaked a little.
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| Lunch at Cafe d'Avall |
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| Hopefully enough gin to get us through the weekend! That's a full gallon. |
Saturday morning is always market morning in Ceret. Edward and Ella set off mid-morning for a fun few hours checking out all the fresh fruit and veges and more. Edward is heavily involved in producing organic vegetables when he is in NZ, but at the moment they are more often than not travelling in Asia or Europe for work rather than home in Canterbury.
John and I had a rest in the afternoon, in anticipation of the late concert we had booked for the evening. It didn't kick off until 9:45pm. It seemed a very late kick-off, until we realised it would be because the World Cup football match being televised at the bar next door and elsewhere would be finishing at that time. Ella put together an excellent Cantonese meal beforehand using their purchases from the market - most appreciated and most delicious.
The outdoor concert was held in one of the main squares. The first half was advertised as Spanish guitarist, and the second a Spanish flamenco dancer. This particular concert is normally put on each summer, but we hadn't yet gone to one, but this time we decided we should get on with it. The young ones were both keen to go too. Ella is in the music industry and performs her own gigs so it suggested a very enjoyable evening for all. The guitar was very good, but the highlight was the flamenco. Just superb. Both the male and female dancers were clearly experts, and put on a great show. We must go again.
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| Flamenco in Place de la Republique |
Sunday was a slow start due to the late concert, and Ella and Edward needed to get some work done, but fitted in the Art Museum. The World Cup Football filled in a bit of time.
On their last day, we did a tiki tour of a couple of the small local coastal towns - first Port-Vendres where we lunched very well on seafood at Bar Tapas L'Abri Cotier, and on to Collioure. Edward was keen to spend a little time on a beach, so we parked at the station in Collioure and walked round to the beach past the church at Collioure. We soaked up a little warmth for a while before braving the water. It turned out to be lovely. Not over warm, but perfect for a 30 degree day. We all swam not once but twice! We must come back with our swim goggles, as it is a good spot for a few laps from one end of the beach to the other. A bit of gelato on the way home topped off s most enjoyable final day for our guests.
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| Port-Vendres is always pretty on a nice day |
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| Moules at L'Abri Cotier |
Next day we dropped them off at the station in Perpignan for a bus to Barcelona, the trains being on strike yet again. We certainly had enjoyed the visit greatly, and I'm sure my nephew and partner did too.
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